How GIS Has Changed Our World

Development Seed recently launched horn.wfp.org, a mapping tool that visualizes one of the worst famines in recent history that’s unfolding in the Horn of Africa. It was developed in partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP), the food aid arm of the United Nations, to leverage data from the humanitarian community to better communicate about the story behind the crisis and relief efforts to the wider public.

The map lets people drill down into the data to see where the World Food Programme’s food distribution centres are in relation to the current food security conditions, including the declared famine zones in Somalia. Rather than oversimplifying the crisis, the map helps share some of its most complex challenges — such as showing the rebel-controlled parts of Somalia that have limited or no access to relief aid because humanitarian groups can’t access them.

Mapping the famine helps people understand the situation in the Horn of Africa and see where donations and food are being distributed.